Marcos Cruz, a key witness in the quadruple homicide case involving former Yonkers cop Nicholas Tartaglione, received a prison sentence of seven years, equivalent to the time he has already served since his arrest in 2016.
Cruz had originally faced a minimum of 10 years up to life in prison when he pleaded guilty in 2017 to drug conspiracy and accessory to murder charges related to the quadruple homicide.
Cruz’s cooperation played a pivotal role in helping authorities convict Tartaglione of the four killings. Cruz’s testimony led investigators to the bodies of the victims and helped the families find justice. Because of this, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey requested leniency from U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas.
Accomplice to four murders
The series of events began when Cruz, a Mexican citizen working on Tartaglione’s ranch in Otisville, introduced him to friend, Martin Luna. The two soon became involved in a drug trafficking enterprise. However, the deal soured when Luna claimed his contacts had taken the money without supplying the drugs.
Tartaglione believed Luna had stolen the money and sent enforcers to find him. Eventually, Luna, along with his nephew Miguel Luna, his niece’s husband Urbano Santiago, and family friend Hector Gutierrez, were lured to a bar owned by Tartaglione’s brother in Chester, New York. Martin Luna was strangled with a zip-tie, and the other three men were shot in the head.
Cruz played a critical role in leading investigators to the burial site of the victims. This evidence resulted in additional arrests and the cooperation of others involved.
During his sentencing, Cruz repeatedly apologized and asked for forgiveness from the victims’ families. Judge Karas recognized Cruz as the least culpable of the four defendants and praised his cooperation.
Despite his criminal actions, both the government and the victims’ families seemingly forgave Cruz. Defense lawyer Dominick Porco noted that the only one who seemed unable to forgive Cruz was the killer himself, Nicholas Tartaglione.
Tartaglione faces sentencing no sooner than late November as his new lawyers seek to overturn his guilty verdict.
